Present latching contactors employ two separate coils wound with opposite magnetic polarity to initiate a change of state of the latching contactor. Latching contactors employ a first coil that is energized momentarily to transition the contactor from a first state, such as a tripped state, to a next state, such as an operational state, to close the power mains switches and position all other contactor switches in respective states corresponding to the mains switches being in the closed, power-on state. A second coil of the opposite magnetic polarity is energized momentarily to transition the contactor to a next state, such as a tripped state, to open the mains switches and position all other contactor switches in respective states corresponding to the mains switches being in the opened, power-off state.
Traditionally, two coils have been employed to actuate the contactor. One coil was on each side of the armature pivot. The two coils were wound to provide opposite magnetic polarity. Each coil was dedicated to providing actuation in a predetermined direction.
A new generation of contactor is needed that transitions from a present state to a next state fifty percent faster than present contactors. Due to limited space for the coil windings, increasing the coil size to achieve increased speed is undesirable. Furthermore, a higher coil current rating is needed, without requiring additional volumetric space, to achieve the faster state transitions.